Inevitable
by Definitely Not Kelly
Summary: Time Travel/Time Swap AU. An akuma switches Ladybug and Chat Noir with their older personas from the future, and vice versa. Basically: what goes down when two teenagers suddenly become a married couple and a married couple suddenly become teenagers who aren't supposed to know each other's identities.
1. Chapter 1

"Coming to bed, _Chaton_?" she whispered into the darkness of the room, head against the pillow as she gazed at the familiar silhouette. The shadowed figure sat down at the other side of the bed, reaching out a large warm hand to caress her cheek. The sheets rustled as he shifted closer.

"You're still awake?" Adrien asked, smiling though she could not see it. It was a small break from their normal routine, which included Marinette falling fast asleep within minutes and Adrien following suit not long after. This time Adrien had stayed up later than usual, making up for lost time from his brief photoshoot to study. Marinette hummed in affirmation.

"I couldn't sleep."

Adrien pressed a kiss on her temple. Before he could pull away, gentle hands guided him to meet plush lips, initiating another slow yet chaste kiss.

" _Rest_ assured, princess _,_ your knight isn't going to make you sleep alone," he said with a grin, wide enough that Marinette could feel the curve of his mouth against her own. She turned away and groaned.

"It's too late to be punning," she whined. Her husband chuckled and lied down beneath the blankets, snaking an arm out to pull her closer to his bare chest. Even after years of being together, his rhythmic heartbeat comforted her, and so she nestled closer into his embrace. She closed her eyes, listening for the lulling drum entwined with the rise and fall of his chest.

"Did you kick physic's butt?" Her voice stayed soft, her weariness evident through her shrinking volume and lax limbs. Adrien ran a hand against her hair.

"Another battle won, my lady," he reported.

" _Bien joué._ "

Adrien's eyes softened, and it only took a minute longer until Marinette's deep breathing indicated she was asleep. Her words left him with a beat of nostalgia, and he turned his head in the direction of the small cat tree where Tikki and Plagg slept. It had been years since they had actually needed to fight a real battle- years since they revealed their identities and started a relationship with one another. Sometimes he missed those days, though Ladybug and Chat Noir still appeared now and then to help out the citizens of Paris. Their true jobs as superheroes, however, had formally ended.

Yes, Adrien missed those days, but he wouldn't trade them for the present either. Not with the love of his life both wedded and snuggled to him, in the cozy apartment the two had made a home out of for almost a year now. They were starting their lives together, with Marinette having recently opened her new boutique, and Adrien graduating from his frequent modeling to pursue a doctorate degree. Their lives were still a little chaotic, but they were together, and that harmonious balance always made their obstacles a little more tolerable.

Led to sleep by Marinette's steady breathing, the blonde's eyes drooped until they finally closed. The room became still, filled with nothing but the sighs of sleep and Plagg's soft snoring, and the moonlight that seeped in from the glass balcony doors was diluted by sheer curtains.

Minutes later, a tall figure appeared behind those very doors in a flash of bright blue.

* * *

Propelling through the sky with the practiced pulls of her yo-yo, the rushing wind brushed her face as Ladybug glided over the city. It might have been a thrilling feeling, had she not been so preoccupied by her fervent search for the freshly escaped akuma. Her irises shifted left and right as she attempted to find any colorful portals that matched the one the most recent villain escaped through. Old Timer, in spite of his name, was a middle-aged gentleman who was quick to vanish and reappear through his summoned portals, making him impossibly difficult to pin down and attack. Stopping her flight on top of one of the many Parisian rooftops, Ladybug huffed, jostling her bangs upward for a brief second before Chat Noir landed beside her.

"It's been half an hour and I can't find him anywhere," she complained, bringing her hand to the lucky charm at her hip: a deflated swim ring that only managed to save a civilian before it was popped. Chat Noir attempted a reassuring grin.

"Just give him some _time_ , Bugaboo. I'm sure he'll show up."

Ladybug lowered her hand, only so she could part her lips and stare at her partner in disbelief. She sighed again.

"Not if you keep scaring him off with puns, he won't." Her half-amused smile belied her words, which Chat Noir was quick to take note of. He lowered his staff on the ground and rested his elbow against it.

"As long as I'm not scaring you away, my lady." He winked, then settled for a more serious expression as he looked out into the city that spread out below them. The rest of Paris was going through the usual bout of akuma-induced chaos: adults _literally_ crawling on pavement; children having pleasant conversations about their nonexistent grandchildren; elders running amuck in games of tag and hide-and-go-seek (which the heroes were fairly certain exhausted their physical limits). It was as if the duo were the only ones who managed to act their age… if running around in animal/bug-themed suits with a yo-yo and a baton constituted normal behavior for sixteen-year-olds.

"Maybe we should transform back. It could be a while until he decides to reappear," Chat Noir suggested at last, both of them wincing at an old woman's cartwheel that did not end well. The event reminded him of their encounter with Alix as Timebreaker, and he was half-expecting another Ladybug to show up and conduct their next movements against the villain. True or not, there was nothing they could do against a missing villain. Ladybug stared out at the city alongside him, deliberating with a grimace.

"I think you're right," she admitted, though not too happily. After two years of fighting akuma, she had gotten used to their efficient clean-ups that only took up twenty minutes at most. It had been a while since they had not been able to handle Hawk Moth's messes in one go. She spared a smile for her partner's sake. "You go ahead. I'll clean up everything and see you later, _Chaton_."

"Later, Ladybug," he returned with a bow. He vaulted off, just as Ladybug reached for the lucky charm and threw it to the sky. Her Miraculous Cure managed to clean up all the damage and revert the citizens back to normal, but the battle was far from over. She returned to the terrace above her room within minutes and detransformed just as she landed on her bed. The worry she had expressed while beside Chat Noir lingered on her features even after it all.

"It'll be okay, Marinette," Tikki assured her in a candy-sweet voice, rising up into her field of view as Marinette still sat. Tikki's large blue eyes welled with confident optimism, and Marinette brightened at the reassurance.

"Thanks, Tikki." The girl slipped off her flats and dropped them on the floor. "I just want to fix this as soon as I can. The last time we had an akuma like this, Chat Noir nearly-"

The words cut off abruptly, Marinette's eyes widening and her pupils dilating without warning. A blue light overtook her, surging up her body like the light of her transformation, but this time there was no mask to follow up the flash.

"Marinette?!" Tikki called out, but the girl fainted, collapsing over her bed. Fear overtook Tikki's features, and the tiny kwami floated closer and pressed her paws against her chosen's cheek. For a moment, she was as still as death.

"Marinette? Marinette, are you okay?" Tikki asked again, shaken with concern.

It took a full minute for her to rouse. All at once, Marinette's eyelids snapped open, her pupils blown wide. She stared up at the trapdoor above her bed, her expression shifting from shock to realization, then finally she jolted up to look at all directions of her room. Tikki watched in silent confusion, but it took a moment longer for Marinette's eyes to land on her kwami. The smallest hint of relief was enough to pull a weak smile on the girl's face.

"Tikki," she breathed, then falling back onto her pillow with both hands covering her face.

"What happened?" Tikki asked, still hovering beside her with audible worry. She watched her throat tense as Marinette swallowed with understanding.

"I… I just traveled around ten years from the future."

* * *

Adrien was having a really pleasant dream.

It must have been, because he could feel the warmth and softness of someone lying down next to him. He inched closer to the source of heat, identifying the person as a woman as soon as he let his arm curl around her narrow waist and felt the back of her curves press against him. He burrowed his face into the crook of her neck, humming in sleepy satisfaction, breathing in a clean fragrance that he could only decipher as sweet. His cuddling was met with a tired but not objective moan, and for a second the woman leaned closer to his touch. Wisps of her hair tickled his cheek, but he didn't find it in him to pull away. This dream felt more real than any other he could remember having and it was literally heaven.

"Ladybug," he murmured into her ear, smiling and clutching onto her tighter.

Needless to say, the last thing he expected was his arm being tugged until he was flipped off the bed and onto the hard wooden floor. His eyes popped open just as all the air in his lungs left his body, leaving him to stare up at the slightly blurry Ladybug who was standing over him. Except, she wasn't wearing red, but white.

"Who are you?!" Ladybug demanded, her interrogative tone masking her fright. Adrien blinked up at her, his muddled mind attempting to make sense of such an improbable scenario. Well, he was Adrien right now- that much he was able to know. It was possible she didn't recognize him as Chat Noir.

"It's me, Bugaboo." he answered with a stifled groan, blinking once more to clear his vision, and-

"Marinette?"

She dropped his arm with a gasp, and the sight of Marinette hovering above him- on the verge of a panic no less- sobered him up rather quickly. At least, he thought it was Marinette.

She looked exactly like her, with her dark raven hair falling loose over her shoulders and her sky blue eyes staring down at him. She even wore the same deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression he had seen on her face more than once, pink lips drawn inward until they were no longer visible. Except, this Marinette was clearly older, with some of the roundness of her face matured and her body- while not voluptuous- was more distinctly that of a woman's. The billowing white tank top over her sleep shorts only seemed to accentuate that.

"A-Adrien? Is that you?" Even as her lips parted to speak, none of the nervousness left her.

For the first time Adrien thought to check his surroundings. What he should have noticed a long time ago was that he was definitely not in his room, unless his room was suddenly reduced and redesigned to be a much smaller and simpler square bedroom. Glass double-doors leading to a balcony allowed in the faint glow of morning light, leaving half of the room still covered in shadows. A king-sized bed took up most of the space, with end-tables, a dresser, and a cat-tree being the only other pieces of furniture in view. For a small space, it was tastefully decorated, with modern designs accented by pastel blues.

None of it was familiar.

"I…" At a loss of words, he trailed his gaze back up to Marinette's, only to belatedly recall how he practically smothered her when he woke up that morning. Her lips parted in a silent gasp just as he gaped at her.

"I'm sorry!" they both blurted out, Marinette with her arms up defensively, and Adrien scrambling to his feet (only to realize he was notably taller than he last remembered). They shared a long look that might have incited some nervous laughter on any other occasion, but the most they could manage were amused if not also apprehensive smiles.

"What are you two on about so early in the morning?" Plagg demanded, floating out of one of the openings of the cat-tree. It zapped just enough life back into Adrien to force him to jump in front of Marinette.

"Is that-"

"So, Marinette, funny waking up here together, right? I wonder what happened!" he interrupted, forcing a great smile in a futile effort to distract her from his kwami. If it was any other time, Adrien might have realized that was probably the least reassuring thing to say to a girl after waking up next to her, but at this time all he could think was _please don't notice the talking miniature cat-thing that's floating in mid-air._ Marinette blinked up at him, her gaze mystified and her cheeks red. Then her eyes widened once more as some sort of clarity seemed to wash over her.

"Chat Noir?!"

And out of all the things, that was what made Adrien realize Marinette was Ladybug: that very same high-pitched tone of pure surprise whenever she had found him under the impact of some brand of akuma magic. Which was the same outcry Adrien had (unfortunately) come to hear a lot from Ladybug, consciously or otherwise.

And find him, she did.

"I…. Yes?" His eyes never narrowed so much as a millimeter, physically unable to process the life-altering knowledge in such a short timespan- like two correctly placed puzzle pieces that cannot fit when jammed together at full-speed.

As it happened, finding out her partner was actually the boy she had been crushing on for years- just after waking up next to him shirtless in bed in an unfamiliar room- was Marinette's breaking point.

"I-I see. So you're Chat Noir. All this time. That's great, isn't it? I… That's..." Yet, just after she finished speaking, she started to laugh in a way that bordered on hysterical. The sound petered off just as soon as it started, Marinette taking in Adrien's complete confusion- probably wondering how she could laugh in such a situation.

"Marinette?" he asked, his voice smaller than before. Like he was hurt. Her eyes widened before she considered him with a more sympathetic gaze.

"I'm just surprised. This whole time… you've been… well, you. I'm not disappointed."

Her words seemed sincere. Adrien regarded her once more, piecing together the similarities between her and Ladybug, until her searching blue eyes sealed the deal.

"I'm not disappointed either," he returned, pulling a small smile. To his surprise, Marinette's face was flooded with red. Just as he raised his brow, she backpedalled towards the door. Not daring to surprise her further, he stayed in place as her hand scrambled for the doorknob, but the confusion never left him.

"I-I just need…. moment a short, I-I mean, a shmoment, that is-!"

The last expression he could read off her face was one of sheer terror, just before she cut off her words to step behind the door and slam it.

"She took it about as well as last time," Plagg commented, smiling wide, eyes glowing with all too familiar mischief.

"Last time?" Adrien repeated, still staring blankly at the door she escaped to.

"At least this time she didn't scream." Plagg snickered at some unknown memory, while Adrien could only blanch.

Right on cue, muffled screaming sounded from the adjoining room.

* * *

Well, here's an idea I've been sitting on for a while.  
I know there are plenty of time travel AUs, but I haven't come across one where future Marinette and Adrien are both sent into the past, which I honestly think has a lot of potential. (Here's hoping I do it all justice.)

Reviews and favorites are appreciated as always, but an honest question to the readers: Would it be easier if I labeled which segments are taking place in the present and the future? Thanks in advance!


	2. Chapter 2

\- **present** -

One search through the news explained mostly everything to Adrien, since a certain kwami was no help.

"Old Timer? But we defeated him so easily," he thought aloud, bewildered as he looked down at his phone from his room's desk chair. "Ladybug trapped him with the ring so he couldn't teleport, then she purified his akuma."

Plagg looked down at the recent footage of Old Timer from the opposite end of the phone. The akumatized man smirked back at the camera before stepping through a portal of bright blue, vanishing once more to places no one could reach. "He doesn't seem very purified to me," the kwami pointed out with a skeptical glance.

Adrien sighed, rolling away from the desk. "No, he doesn't." He angled his face towards the high ceiling, scrutinizing it as if he could find anything beyond it. "But how come?"

The last thing he could remember, he was lying in bed, in his cozy apartment, comfortable and warm beside Marinette. Waking up on the cold hard floor in his old spacious bedroom- with Plagg right in his face- was obviously disorienting. (Granted, it was nice to see Plagg was capable of worrying for his chosen.) After brushing off any reasonable concern for apparently collapsing without warning, Adrien tried to make sense of the fact he was sent a decade or so into the past. Old Timer kind of explained a lot, but he still didn't understand why an enemy from so long ago would have any impact on him now. Plagg, on the other hand, took the event in stride, as if the colossal reveal of information was another daily news report.

Adrien caught his reflection from a mirror across the room and grimaced. He was so _young_. It was unsettling to see his hair in that familiar neat sweep he had given up years ago. (He had _fallen to the ground_ and his hair was still almost perfectly in place.)

"I wish I could see Marinette," he muttered, propping his chin up on his hand. Plagg groaned.

"Ugh, are you telling me this love sickness doesn't get better with age?"

Adrien spared him one look, unamused. "Plagg, Tikki told me it's common for Miraculous holders to fall in love. Why do you always act so surprised?"

Plagg flopped onto the desk. "Why do I always have to put up with it for centuries?"

Adrien might have rolled his eyes, but instead he resigned with a tight smile and pulled a container of camembert from the nearby mini-fridge. The facade of exhaustion wiped away in favor of greedy delight, the kwami zeroing in on the cheese and forgetting all previous complaints. Adrien knew Plagg didn't truly mind. The kwami liked Marinette– even treating her better than his own chosen in the future. The thought made Adrien miss his wife all the more, and he wondered how fixing this mess with the current time's Ladybug would work out.

He checked back on his news app, reading over the report that Ladybug had been sighted around the city less than half an hour ago. The small hope that maybe his wife had traversed time with him had dwindled upon his first time seeing it. If she had time-travelled, wouldn't she have at least come to check on him? Contact him? Something? Surely she couldn't have transformed into Ladybug only minutes after just landing in a new time period. He opened his messenger to contact Marinette, only to see there were no recent conversations in his history. The last message she sent him was about some meeting with Alya and Nino, from months ago.

A new sense of _alone_ crushed over him.

The sinking feeling started to weigh down on his chest as he checked the date. April; before they had revealed themselves. If his wife was still in the future, then that meant this Marinette had no idea that he was Chat Noir. If his wife was still in the future, then _he_ was responsible for preserving their current timeline… right? The idea that he could unknowingly trigger a disturbance in time and return to an empty home haunted him. What if he defeated Old Timer and woke back up in a lifeless mansion, Marinette having lived a life apart from his own?

"Adrien?" Plagg asked, lifting his head from a wedge of cheese and raising a non-existent eyebrow.

Lowering his phone, Adrien looked out the tall windows, both hopeful and afraid to find Ladybug racing across the city skies.

"I'll be fine," the boy answered, both to Plagg and to himself.

* * *

The following school day filled the famous super-heroine with more dread than she had felt in years. Standing in front of her old _lyc_ _é_ _e_ , her pink bookbag hugged to her chest and her raven hair in their trademark pigtails, the seemingly teenage girl stared up at the building with her teeth sunken in her bottom lip. It had been years since she attended school, and though the idea of revisiting the place was an entertaining thought, the pressure of acting 'normal' gnawed at her. There were several ways this day could go wrong: she could play too dumb, she could know too much, or simply do one innocuous action that was bizarre to everyone else. Once the worries coursed through her, however, she attempted to dissipate them with a sigh.

She was _Ladybug_. If she could manage to keep that identity a secret for years, what did she have to worry about now? At this rate, all her panic was putting her perfectly on track to becoming her sixteen-year-old self regardless.

Marinette forced a smile and entered the school building. Everything would return to normal once she took care of Old Timer, and for that she only needed one day. Walking through the halls, she reflected on her unsuccessful search for the villain last night. He could not avoid her forever, and when he did reappear, Marinette would fix whatever went wrong in the current timeline in one fell swoop. After all, she had years of experience that none of these akuma were ready for.

"Hey, Marinette!"

There was only one complication to that plan.

She stiffened, recognizing the voice without any doubt, spinning around out of reflex. Her surprise was evident as she faced the person she dreaded to see the most since arriving here. Yet, as the young version of Adrien Agreste brightened and waved at the sight of her, nothing but well-needed relief flooded through her. He was so cute. And adorable. And _oblivious_. Her heart clenched as he lowered his hand and tilted his head, having to look down at her with those same spring-colored eyes while standing only a few footsteps away. It was so surreal: looking at the boy who she knew loved her, when he had no idea.

"Marinette?" he repeated, his hand returning behind his back, clinging to his wrist. She blinked out of her stupor, smiling wider than necessary and adding a giggle for extra measure.

"Good morning, Adrien!" she chirped, hugging her bag even tighter to her. Though other words formed on the tip of her tongue, she blanked when his eyes immediately softened. His smile went from polite to warm, and though she had seen that gaze from her husband many times before, it took her off guard to see it from his younger self.

If Adrien noticed her surprise, he didn't comment on it. "Good morning," he answered, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder. Idly, she thought of Plagg resting somewhere inside it. "So. How are you?"

Well, there was the honest answer:

"I'm doing fine! I just got sent ten years into the past and have to pretend I am actually sixteen years old. Oh, and I have to forget the fact that you're my husband. Sorry, I meant you're _going_ to be my husband. Well, unless I scare you off before that actually happens, which is more and more plausible if I spend too much time around you. By the way, how about that akuma we didn't cure yesterday?"

Like she could actually say that.

So instead, she stretched the smile on her face for a moment longer and took a step back.

"I'm fine, b-but I don't think I'm feeling too well!" she rushed out, casting a searching glance back for Alya, or someone who she didn't risk revealing a time-altering secret with. Adrien furrowed his brow.

"What? You're sick?" He reached forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned closer to her, scrutinizing her face for any sign of illness. That was all it took to derail and fluster her, as Adrien brought his other hand up to brush against her forehead. "Are you overworking yourself?"

Marinette swallowed. It was just Adrien being Adrien: friendly, polite, and genuinely caring. Yet it was hard to ignore how much he touched her, both metaphorically and literally. She did her best not to think about the sudden contact, keeping her eyes averted. His hand was already warm on her skin, but then he swept her bangs aside with his thumb, and as close as he stood, she could feel his breath against her hair. Why was she cursed with a boy who had a concave personal bubble?

"I just didn't get much sleep last night," she admitted in a small voice. She peeked back up at him, and just as they made eye contact, Adrien paused and pulled a respectful distance back. He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled once more.

"I know how that goes," he said, looking away. "Photoshoots, and stuff."

Unable to help it, Marinette laughed, knowing all too well "stuff" entailed his adventures as Chat Noir.

"At least someone understands," she conceded with a smile. She wanted to exchange glances with him, but she was afraid of giving away too much. A beat of silence wafted between them a moment too long, until Marinette finally backed away and turned around.

"Um, I have to leave. But thanks, Adrien." She angled her head over her shoulder, still not facing him. Even so, she could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'll see you around, Marinette."

She took off. It wasn't until she turned a corner that she stopped, pressing her back against the wall and sighing. She didn't like tip-toeing around him like this. It took self-control to stop herself– from flicking his nose when he worried too much; from wrapping her arms around him when he said he understood. But, more than that, it took strength not to collapse in front of him and confess all the worries that plagued her about this time-warp.

It was worse knowing he would listen.

Her grip tightened on the strap of her bookbag, her focus set on returning everything to its proper time. She was going to fix this. She was going to protect their future. If she had to do it by herself, then so be it.

As Marinette peeled herself away from the wall, she remained unaware of Adrien, standing where she left him, a defeated frown on his face.

* * *

\- **future** -

Marinette had found the photos of the wedding.

Photos of _their_ wedding.

Gripping onto the edge of the island table, Marinette stared at the one framed photo atop it like it threatened her well-being. It was so… blatant. Adrien stood at the front, smiling a goofy grin she had never seen on his face before, though it was familiar all the same. (The whisper of 'Chat Noir' echoed in her mind, but she ignored it in an attempt to process things one at a time.) He was wearing a classic tuxedo that he looked absolutely perfect in, in a way that would make even grown women swoon– which made sense, considering he was now a man. But behind him was a smiling version of her older self, wrapping an arm around his chest from behind and somehow managing to prop her head on his shoulder despite the height difference. He was probably supporting her legs out of the shot, she realized with still-warm cheeks.

That in itself was already incredible. What really broke her was the subtle fist bump they shared: his fist against hers whereas normal couples would just hold hands.

There were a few others, on the fridge and on a wall, but she was saved from looking at them when Tikki phased into the room. Marinette released her grip from the table to catch her breath.

"Tikki?"

Tikki drifted closer, and Marinette opened her hand out of pure reflex. Her kwami, at least, appeared the same. Tikki looked up at her with the same encouraging and supportive smile she always wore, consoling Marinette without a single word.

"I don't know where I should even start, Tikki," she admitted, giving a tired smile as she slumped toward the counter. Tikki giggled in response.

"Well, you're in the future, where you normally freak out over deadlines instead of being married to Adrien," she replied. Hearing the word "married" aloud made her heart rate accelerate to impossible speeds, and she couldn't tell whether it was out of happiness or disbelief.

"Adrien, who is also Chat Noir," Marinette reiterated. Marrying Adrien (a never-ending fantasy) and marrying Chat Noir (a less detailed what-if) sounded like two drastically different realities, and the fact they were one and the same did not come together seamlessly in the process of five minutes. She brought her fingers to her teeth. It was already jarring just to wake up in the body of her future self, and she was hardly even allowed the time to process that.

"He's just as surprised as you are, right now," Tikki reminded her, as if reading her thoughts. "The Adrien in that room is the same Chat Noir you saw before you woke up here. You should go back and talk to him."

Marinette looked down at the wooden floors. "You're right, Tikki. I just don't..."

The bedroom door clicked open. In perfect sync, the two faced one another– his features plagued by uncertainty, her eyes colored with worry. Adrien tore away his gaze as he shut the door behind him, Tikki flying out of sight meanwhile. He had put on a shirt in an attempt at decency, but the memory of bare-chested and bed-headed Adrien Agreste slumped on the floor beneath her was etched in her brain without her control. He had definitely grown to be more handsome, she noted, earning some muscle in his years and outgrowing more of the softness of his face. His blond hair- also longer than before- was still mussed from sleep, in a way that hinted his resemblance to her often ridiculous and grandiose partner. Except, she had never seen Chat Noir so apprehensive.

"Are you okay?" he asked, breaking the silence. The sincere concern welled up her guilt for running out on him. It didn't surprise her at all that Chat Noir was taking the reveal much better than she was, but it didn't mean she had to make him deal with it alone. Saying something, anything, was better than leaving him to wonder.

"I'm really sorry I flipped you, Adrien." She kept her eyes on the counter, her lips pressing together once she got out the words. The last thing she expected was a soft chuckle in response.

"I've had worse. Remember?" She looked up to witness a kind yet bashful smile, and her heart swelled. She did remember, and she remembered more than just his falls and hits as Chat Noir– some of which were inadvertently her doing. He reminded her they already knew each other, on both sides of the mask. Whether he was Adrien or Chat Noir, he had always been her friend, and the thought swirled in her head in a rush of realization. She smiled back as he walked closer to her, though she could not dare to hold his gaze for longer than a few seconds.

As it turned out, she didn't have to.

"So, what's thi–"

His words were cut off by her loud gasp, followed by cracking glass. He had paused right beside her, looking over in the direction of the picture she had been fixating on earlier, but just as he raised a hand to angle the photo in his direction, she snatched the frame and tossed it on the wood kitchen floor.

A knee jerk reaction she had absolutely no explanation for.

"Um… Ok," Adrien said after a moment, because there was nothing else to say. She bit her lip and glanced back at both his stunned expression and his hand still raised in mid-air. She really had a talent with making things awkward, even with him being Chat Noir. All she knew was she couldn't handle him seeing that photo right now. Not in front of her.

"W-we shouldn't go digging through the future, right? I don't really know how time travel works, and we shouldn't mess up… w-we shouldn't change what we aren't supposed to."

Though she phrased it as a statement, it was really a plea– a plea to pretend not to notice all the obvious signs, like the other photos she couldn't tear down, or the fact they woke up together, or the golden band she only recently noticed around her finger and his own.

He processed her words. "This really is the future then," Adrien mumbled to himself, facing away. She hummed a quiet affirmation, fighting the heat rushing to her cheeks. She opened her mouth in search of a response. He spoke again before she could find one.

"I guess Old Timer wanted to fight us _ahead of time_."

Her eyes widened, if only long enough to gape at him. And then, for the first time, the personas of her beloved classmate and her cat-clad companion started to reconcile A timid smile drew up on this adult man's face, both new and familiar, meeting Marinette's eyes with hopeful humor. And, unable to resist, she laughed– unbridled and sincere. It was worth it to see the Chat Noir grin grow on his face.

"Well," she began, her giggles trickling off between breaths, "if you haven't scared him off with your puns yet, we'll have to figure out how to fight him here. Won't we, _minou_?"

The mere nickname made a subtle blush bloom on his face, but it didn't deter him from holding his fist in front of her with a benign smirk.

"We'll get through it together, my lady."

Gently, she bumped her fist into his.

The wedding photo of them doing the same resonated in her mind.

* * *

Whoops, well that update took much longer than expected, sorry guys.  
But after this adjustment period, maybe I can finally incorporate some of the fluff and pining I've been looking forward to.

Thank you for all the kind reviews by the way! I appreciate them beyond words.


End file.
